Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1887-03-10
KING
Solomon S Mines.
BY II. RIDER HAGGARD.

IL
into the sea it was completed; just that little
extra second did the trick. 1t is often the
way when you have been bOthering long
time over thing.
Eyes, gentlemen" l said, sitting down
again, Il will go, and by your leave L will
tell you why and on what terms. First for
the terms which L ask.
Il. You are to pay all expenses, and any
ivory or other yaluableS we may get is to be
divided between Captain Good and myself.
so. That you pay me $500 for my services
on the trip before we start, / undertaking to
serve you faithfully till you choose to aban-
don the enterprise, or till we succeed, or dis
aster overtakes us.
'3. That before we start you execute a
deed agreeing, in the event of my death or
disablement to pay my boy Harry, who is
studying medicine over there in London at
Guys Hospital, a sum of goo year for five
years, by which time lie ought to be able to
earn a living for himself That is all
think. and L dare say you VIII say quite
enough too"
NO" answered Sir Henry, Il accept
them gladly. | am bent upon this project,
and would pay more than that for your help,
especially considering the peculiar knOwl-
edge you possess"
every well. And now that have made
my terms L will tell you my reasons for
making up my mind to go. First Of all, gem
tleRen, have been observing you both for
the last few days, and if you will not think
me impertinent / will say that | like you,
and think that we shall come up well to the
yoke together. That is something, let NE
tell you, when one has long journey like
this before one.
And now as to the journey itself, I tell
you fatty, Sir Henry and Captain Good, that
do not think it probable that we can come
out of it alive, that is, if we attempt to cross
the SULLIVAN Mountains What was the fate
of the old Don da SiIvestra three hundred
years ago? What was the fate of his de-
scendant twenty years ago? What has been
your brothers fate? | tell you frankly, gen
tlemen, that as their fate was so believe
ours will be-
paused to watch the effect of my words.
Captain Good looked a little uncomfortable;
but Sir Henry'S face did not change. I'VE
must take our chance" he said.
You may perhaps wonder, why, il l
think this, /, who am, as l told you, timid
man, should undertake such a journey. 1t
is for two reasons. First, / am fatalst
and believe that my time is appointed to
come quite independently of my own move
ments, and that il l am to go to Sulman'S
Mountains to be killed, I shall go there and
shall be killed there. God Almighty, no
doubt knows His mind about me, so l need
not trouble on that point Secondly, am
poor man. For nearly forty years l have
hunted and traded, but I have never made
more than living. Well, gentlemen, [
don't know if you are aware that the aver
age life of an elephant-hunter from the time
he takes to the trade is from four to five
years So you see | have lived through
about seven generations of my class, and L
should think that my time cannot be far off
anyway. Now, if anything were to happen
to me In the ordinary course Of business, by
the time my debts were paid there would be
nothing left to support my son Harry whilst
he was getting in the way of earning Iiv-
ing, whereas now he would be provided for
for five years. There is the whole affair in
a nutshell"
Mr.. Quatermain," said Sir Henry, who
had been giving me the most serious atten-
ton, ''your motives for undertaking an en-
terprise which you believe can only end in
disaster reflect great deal of credit on YOU
Whether or not you are right, time and the
event of course alone can show. But wheth-
er you are right or wrong, may as well tell
you at once that am going through with it
to the end, sweet or bitter. Ii we are going
to be knocked on the head, all have to say
is that | hope we shall get little shooting
first-eh, Good%'
Yes, yes" put in the captain. 1--WE have
all three Of us been accustomed to face dam
ger, and hold our lives in our hands in va
riOuS ways SO it is no good turning back
now"
''And now 1 vote we go down to the sa-
loon and take an observation, just for luck,
you know" And we did-through the bot
tom of a tumbler.
Next day we went ashore, and L put Sir
Henry and Captain Good up at the little
shanty have on the Berea, and which call
my home. There are only three rooms and
a kitchen in it, and it is built of green brick
with galvanized iron roof, but there is
good garden with the best loquot trees in it
that L know, and some nice young mangoes,
of which hope great things. The curator
of the botanical gardens gave them to me.
1t is looked after by an old hunter of mine,
named Jack, whose thigh was so badly
broken by buffalo cow in Sikukunis coun-
try, that he will never hunt again. But he
can potter about and garden, being d Griqua
by birth. You can never get your Zulu to
take much interest IN gardening. 1t is 4
peaceful art and peaceful arts are not in his
line
Sir Henry and Good slept in a tent pitched
in my little grove of orange-trees at the end
of the garden (for there was no room for
them in the house, and what with the smell
of the bloom and the sight Of the green and
golden fruit-for in Durham you will see all
three on the tree together-I dare say it is
pleasant place enough (for we have few
mosquitoes here unless it happens to come
an unusually heavy rain).
Well, to get On-for unless | do you will
be tired OF my story before we fetch up at
Suliman'S Notwithstanding once made up
my mind to go | set about making the
necessary preparations. First got the deed
from Sir Henry, providing for my boy in
case Of accident There was some little
difficulty about getting this legally executed,
as Sir Henry was a stranger here, and the
property TO be charged was over the water,
but it was ultimately got over with the help
Of q lawyer, who charged $40 for the iob-a
price that thought outrageous Then L got
my check for $500. Having paid this tribute
TO my bump of caution, L bought a wagon